Phealth 2017

Smart mobile systems such as microsystems, smart textiles, smart implants, sensor-controlled medical devices and innovative sensor techniques have become important enablers for telemedicine and next-generation health services, with social media and gamification adding further to personalized health (pHealth) as an eco-system. This book presents the proceedings of pHealth 2017, the 14th in a series of international conferences for personalized health held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in May 2017. The conference series, which began in 2003 as a dissemination activity in the framework of a European project on wearable micro and nano technologies for personalized health, presents advances in wearable or implantable micro-, nano- and bio-technologies for healthcare and wellness, and brings together expertise from medical, technological, political, administrative, and social domains, and even from philosophy and linguistics. The book contains keynotes and invited papers, as well as 16 oral presentations and 8 poster presentations. Encompassing diverse fields such as medical services, public health, prevention, social and elderly care, wellness and personal fitness, the book will be of interest to practitioners from various medical and health disciplines, as well as developers and administrators, provider institutions, and patient and citizens representatives.

This volume presents the proceedings of the 3rd ICBHI which took place in Thessaloniki on 18-21 November, 2017.The area of biomedical and health informatics is exploding at all scales. The developments in the areas of medical devices, eHealth and personalized health as enabling factors for the evolution of precision medicine are quickly developing and demand the development of new scaling tools, integration frameworks and methodologies.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk. However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively. Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agendaâ€"outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issuesâ€"that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

Governments across the WHO European Region need to take urgent action to address the growing public health inequality economic and environmental challenges in order to achieve sustainable development (meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs) and to ensure health and well-being for present and future generations. Based on a scoping review this report concludes that current investment policies and practices (doing business as usual) are unsustainable with high costs to individuals families communities societies the economy and the planet. Investment in public health policies that are based on values and evidence provides effective and efficient inclusive and innovative solutions that can drive social economic and environmental sustainability. Investing for health and well-being is a driver and an enabler of sustainable development and vice versa and it empowers people to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all.

October 23-25, 2017 | Paris, France Key Topics : Epidemiology and Public Health, Epidemiology and Surveillance, Epidemiology and Antibiotic Resistance, Epidemiology and Medicine, Epidemiology and Infectious Disease, Epidemiology and Chronic Diseases, Epidemiology and Disease Outbreak, Epidemiology and Oral Health, Epidemiology and Tropical Diseases, Epidemiology and Cancers, Epidemiology and Health Care, Epidemiology and Genomic Research, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Immunology, Epidemiology and Sociology, Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Epidemiology and Anthropology, Epidemiology and zoonosis,

Ten years in public health 2007-2017 chronicles the evolution of global public health over the decade that Margaret Chan served as Director-General at the World Health Organization. This series of chapters evaluates successes setbacks and enduring challenges during the decade. They show what needs to be done when progress stalls or new threats emerge. The chapters show how WHO technical leadership can get multiple partners working together in tandem under coherent strategies. The importance of country leadership and community engagement is stressed repeatedly throughout the chapters. Together we have made tremendous progress. Health and life expectancy have improved nearly everywhere. Millions of lives have been saved. The number of people dying from malaria and HIV has been cut in half. WHO efforts to stop TB saved 49 million lives since the start of this century. In 2015 the number of child deaths dropped below 6 million for the first time a 50% decrease in annual deaths since 1990. Every day 19 000 fewer children die. We are able to count these numbers because of the culture of measurement and accountability instilled in WHO. These chapters tell a powerful story of global challenges and how they have been overcome. In a world facing considerable uncertainty international health development is a unifying – and uplifting – force for the good of humanity.